Automatic feeding device for furnaces.



P. Q. WILLIAMS.

AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23. 1943.

Patented Oct. 17 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

P. Q. WILLIAMS.

' AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR FURNACES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23. I913- 1,201,664. Patented, Oct. 17,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

MTE STA ES ATENT OFFICE.

PERCY'Q. WILLIAMS OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE CHARLES BOLDT COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

AUTOMATIC FEEDING DEVICE FOR FURNACES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17. #9163.

My invention relates to automatic feeding devices for feeding raw material to furnaces adapted for the fusion of substances; and more particularly to automatic feed ng devices for feeding raw material to furnaces for the production of molten glass.

It is well known that furnaces for the fusion of glass must be continually fed at certain determined intervals with the proper raw materials inasmuch as the furnaces are never allowed to cool down after once being heated properly. It is the custom to provide an attendant at each furnace Whose duty it is to keep the furnace properly supplied with the raw materials. This attendant often becomes careless and irregular in feeding the furnace.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic feeding means for glass furnaces which can be operated at the proper speed to feed the furnace the proper amount of raw material, at certain predetermined intervals thereby decreasing the expense of maintaining a furnace and increasing its efficiency by insuring a steady uniform feed.

My invention consists in certain parts, combinations of parts and details of construction which will be described in the following specification and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device operatively mounted on a furnace, the furnace being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of same. Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig 2.

Fig. 4. is .a plan view showing the dog house a of the furnace and the ram in its innermost position. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the valve and adjustable means thereon for regulating the throw of same.

Referring more particularly to my invention, 1 illustrates a portion of a tank furnace commonly used in the fusion of glass and 2 the filling hole of same. A hopper 3 commonly called the batch hopper contains the proper mixture of sand or silica, alkalis, lime, etc., and the heterogeneous substances Such as broken mul partlv mrltr-l glam. This mixture is adapt-J (n be fed into the dog house 1 of the furnace thz zgyh 1m valve 4: at the bottom of the hatch hop er 3. which valve is automatically opcne and closed at certain determined intervals by mechanism which will be described hereinafter.

My device for feeding the furnace is preferably driven by the motor 5 which drives a worm 6. The worm 6 meshes with a worm wheel 7 suitably journaled at 8. The worm wheel 7 is provided with a crank or wrist pin 9 which is adapted to operate an oscillating pitman or crank arm 10 mounted on the rock shaft 11. It will be noted that the oscillating pitman is provided with an elongated slot 12 in which the wrist pin 9 operates, and that it is tightly mounted on the rock shaft 11 directly below the driving gear 7. By means of the position of the wrist pin on the worm wheel 7 and the elongated slot 12 in the oscillating pitman the rock shaft 11 is given a slow forward motion and a comparatively quick return which is desired in order to draw the ram out of the furnace quickly.

The oscillating shaft 11 is suitably journaled' in journal boxes 13 just beneath the floor level and has mounted thereon two oscillating connecting arms 14 rigidly. mounted thereon and vertically disposed extending from the rock shaft 11 upwardly to a point above the level of the dog house 1 and the filling hole 2 of the furnace. A connecting bar or shaft 15 is loosely mounted in the ends of the oscillating rockenarms 14 and carries the ram 16 which is rigidly mounted on the connecting bar 15. The ram 16 is provided with a hinged head plate 17 which is adapted to act as the head of the ram during its forward motion .but upon its return motion the head plate drags over the top of the reaching the limit of its return stroke. The

sol w w is adjustable to regulate the distance the ram is l fted out of the molten glass upon the return of the ram as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings.

The cut off gate valve 4 on the batch hopper is provided with the usual operating handle the valve to normally close, it being rigidly mounted on the swinging valve gate 23. Pix'oted at a suitable point on the handle 22 is an arm 25 carrying a contact roller 26 at the end thereof. Intermediatethe pivotal point and the roller on said arm I attach an adjusting arc shaped arm 28 which is provided with a series of holes 29 through nhicll a pin 30 in the handle 22 is adapted to enter. Thus the adjusting arm 28 regulates the distance the pivoted arm is allowed to swing away from the operating handle. The roller 26 is adjusted so as to be in the path of the hub of the ram on its return stroke, which hub, when it engages with the roller, raises same, thereby raising the operating handle and opening the valve, letting a. suitable amount of raw material into the furnace just in front of the ram. As the ram is pushed forward the valve automatically closes again and this operation is continually repeated while the device is being operated.

It will be noted that the device may be mounted on a furnace without interfering with the construction of the valve or valve handle, thereby enabling one to feed the furnace by hand if desired.

The worm (3 and worm wheel 7 may be properly proportioned so as to give the proper speed to the am. Thus it is seen that an automatic and absolutely uniform feed is gained by employing my invention on furnaces of this type.

Many modifications of my invention might be made without departing from its spirit and scope and I do not wish to be confined to the exact details shown.

\Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a furnace for the fusion of substances, of a hopper, a valve thereon, an operating handle for said Valve, a ram, an operating shaft, arms on said shaft, means whereby said ram is operated to and fro by the movement of said arms, means for balancing said ram, and means whereby said 'am engages the operating handle of said valve to open said valve.

2. In combination with a furnace for the fusion of substances, of a hopper, a valve 22 which is heavy enough to cause 8. In a device of the character described, the combination with a furnace for the fusion of substances, a hopper, a valve thereon, a reciprocating ram, and a handle for manually operating said valve, said ram arranged to engage the handle to operate said valve at a predetern'iined point in its reciprocating path. 7

4. In an automatic feeding device for furnaces the combination with a valve regulating the supply of the material to be fed therein, of a rock shaft, a reciprocating ram, operatively connected to said rock shaft, means for rocking said shaft quickly in a forward direction and slowly in a backward direction to vary the forward and backward travel of said ram, and means for automatically operating said valve.

5. In an automatic feeding device for furnaces the combination with a valve controlling the supply of material to be fed thereinto, of a reciprocating ram, a hinged head plate on the front end of same, a rock shaft rocker arms mounted thereon, a bar sup ported by said rock shaft, said ram being mounted on said bar, and means for rocking said shaft substantially as set forth.

6. In an automatic feeding device for furnaces the combination with a valve controlling the supply of material to be fed thereinto, of a rock shaft, means for continuously operating said rock shaft, a reciprocating ram operatively connected with said rock shaft, means for balancing said ram, and means for operating said valve dependent upon the operation of said ram.

7. In an automatic feeding device for furnaces, the combination with a valve for con trolling the supply of raw material thereinto, of a reciprocating ram, a rock shaft, rocker arms on said shaft, said rocker arms carrying said ram, means for maintaining said ram in its horizontal position, means for automatically imparting a slow forward movement to said ram and a quick return movement and means for operating said valve dependent upon the return of said ram.

8. In an automatic feeding device for furnaces the combination with a valve having a handle thereon for manually operating same, of a ram independent automatic operating means dependent upon the to and fro movement of said ram, a rock shaft operatively connected to said ram, and means for operating said rock shaft substantially as set forth.

Ross TEEMs'rnn, OLIVER W. SHARMAN. 

